late 14c., deflouren, "deprive (a maiden) of her virginity," also "excerpt the best parts of (a book)," from Old French desflorer (13c., Modern French déflorer) "to deflower (a garden); to take the virginity of" and directly from Late Latin deflorare, from de- (see de-) + flos "flower" (from PIE root *bhel- (3) "to ...

Why is virginity associated with flowers?

Most negative symbolism uses a flower (most often a rose or white lily) or enclosed garden to mean a lack of female sexuality – sexual innocence, virginity, and/or chastity, characteristics which also describe the Western stereotype of the ideal woman, one with the appropriate degree of femininity.

Where did the term deflower come from?

The earliest usage cited by the Oxford English Dictionary comes from the Wycliffe Bible of 1382: “The lust of the gelding deflourede the yunge womman.” In this citation, according to the OED, the word meant “to deprive (a woman) of her virginity; to violate, ravish.”